The Templar's Dream
by SparkDreams
Summary: A templar and a mage, it was so much easier when she was just an annoying young girl... title subject to change. Reviews and critique would be lovely
1. A Thorn in my Side

A Thorn in my Side

Leaning slightly on the cold stone wall behind him, he waited patiently. It was just before dawn, he glanced out the nearby slit of a window as the soft glow of the first rays of sunshine appeared over the distant hills. This was one of his favorite times of day, when everything was silent and sleeping, a moment of pure peace before the world began to rise. And when the world rose, so did the destruction. The burning, murdering, weeping that was becoming more and more prevalent as the days passed. Rumors of dark horrors and mysterious creatures had been filling the halls behind cupped hands in anxious whispers. When these low murmurs reached his ears the hair stood up of the back of his neck.

He shook himself slightly, he did not want to dwell on such things. Especially now as the few fingers of sunlight stretched over the lake, glittering and sparkling across the glass surface. It was going to be a beautiful day and she would be passing by soon.

She was the reason he spent hours polishing his armor until it gleamed, the reason he carefully examined his face each morning to make sure the scruff was neatly trimmed. He had never seen anyone like her, his heart sped up and his breath quickened when she was near. No one knew much about her, when most tried to pry out some information from her they would be returned with a sly smirk and a witty remark. It was rumored that her great grandfather had been a Qunari, with her golden bronze skin and soft silvery hair that brushed her shoulders it was certainly believable. Others pondered over her delicate sloping nose and the faintest hint of a point to her ears. Elvish and Qunari blood were not ones that were often mixed unless splashed over a battlefield.

Most love stories he heard began with love at first sight. Two souls locking eyes and knowing that they belonged together, that nothing in this world could keep them apart. That was not the case with Cullen. He had arrived at the tower seventeen and bitter. He was newly appointed as an apprentice templar, after years of grueling training and fidgeting for endless hours in the Chantry, he was finally given his own set of armor and a real sword. Cullen shifted to feel the same sword still strapped to his hip, the enchanted blade gave off a pleasant warmth. He remembered how angry he had been, he had wanted to join the templars who chased down maleficarum and apostates, but he was being shipped off to the Circle Tower to stand around in hallways like any ordinary guard. There was no glory in being a statue, especially one that the passerby he supposedly guarded rarely even glanced his way. That was where she was different.

Cullen smiled at the thought of their first meeting. He was grumbling in the gardens, it was too hot in his armor, he claimed, the flowers made his nose itch. He had even feigned a few sneezes, but the elder templar who stood with him merely rolled his eyes and sent him to watch at the other side of the garden, most likely so he wouldn't have to endure his constant complaints. Cullen had stomped off to stand glaring at the ground.

A rustling in a nearby bush caught his eye. He leaned toward it curiously when suddenly out burst a young girl. Her robes were disheveled and there were leaves in her mussed white hair. She peered up at him with dark blue eyes.

"Oh! Hello, there!" She quipped nervously, "Who are you? I've never seen you before, are you new?"

Cullen scowled down at her, "Not getting into trouble now, are we?"

The girl stood and placed her hand on her hip. "I was trying to be friendly, no need to be so accusatory. My name's Ellaria, and you are new here, I know almost all the guards, but I don't know you. Tell me your name."

"I don't have to tell you anything, mage. I'm here to watch over you and the rest of these robed fools and keep them safe." Cullen crossed his arms and gave a smug smile.

"Oh really," Ellaria raised one eyebrow with a wicked grin, "you know, you're only here to keep us in. To keep the rest of you who aren't gifted with magic, like I am, safe. If we were allowed to be set free there would be a High Enchantress instead of a king!"

Her response took him aback as he stumbled for words, "High Enchantress, don't you mean High Enchanter?"

Ellaria laughed and shook the hair out of her eyes. "You men all think the same, what we need is a woman in charge! A High Enchantress would put the world to peace and everything would be in a rightful order. I may be only thirteen, but I clearly have more sense than most of you templars!"

Cullen's face reddened and he clenched his hands into fists. "Oh, shut up, you! What do you know, anyway?"

The mage smiled mysteriously as she reached into her pocket, "Just remember this the next time you feel the urge to yell at a mage. This is what happened to the last templar who got on my nerves!"

Ellaria opened her hands to reveal a fat toad. Cullen's face paled as he shouted and jumped back. In his surprise, his heel caught on a root and he went tumbling into a rose bush. Ellaria exploded with glee as she leaned forward and plucked a rose from behind his ear. "Why thank you, how did you know I loved flowers?" She held it up to her nose before turning and sprinting away, giggling as Cullen cursed her.

Present day Cullen grimaced and covered his face with one gauntleted hand. That was five years ago and what a hot-headed fool he had been. She had been the thorn in his side ever since, pestering him whenever she saw him, even playing the occasional prank on him. Cullen had despised her, his blood would boil whenever she was near, she was just an annoying kid like the other girls he had grown up with at the Chantry. It wasn't until around her sixteenth nameday that her presence made his blood boil in a different sort of way. She had grown taller and her face less round, Cullen flushed when he thought of the other changes that had happened to her body... But Ellaria seemed to grow slightly different as well, her eyes would soften when she saw him, although her tongue remained sharp. Cullen began to look forward to their little interactions, he was not quite sure why.

Was this strange sensation love he was feeling? Or simply lust? The Sisters at the Chantry had never distinguished the difference between the two, everything seemed to be lust in their eyes. But there was something about this feeling that Cullen could not quite place. The more he pondered it, the more questions it brought up, so he remained content for now.

The sun was fully visible over the hills now, Ellaria should be on her way to the dining hall in a matter of minutes. Cullen restrained the goofy grin that kept trying to spread across his face when he heard her voice around the corner. His heart pounded and he stood straighter as she rounded the corner, she was as beautiful as he remembered, her silvery hair pulled away from her face by two slim braids that looped at the back of her head, keeping the rest of the white strands in place. Her soft skin flushed from the climb up the winding staircase, her colorful robes flowing smoothly over her body. She filled his vision so, he barely noticed the other mage who accompanied her, Jaren or Jowa or something.

Ellaria looked up and locked eyes with him, her lips curled into a smile. "Good morning, Cullen." She said in her low, husky voice.

Cullen could not help the grin that broke free as he stammered back, "Beautiful morning, I'd say, Ellaria."

She wrinkled her nose and her smile became mischievous as she winked at him before disappearing down the hall. Cullen slumped back against the wall, replaying the moment over and over again in his head.

_A/N-All character and settings belong to Bioshock, I just elaborate on what should have happened._

_Well there it is, the first installment of what will hopefully turn into a full story of my very favorite video game of all time! I hope you enjoyed, my writing is a little rusty, but that will get better in time! Now to write more or play some Dragon Age..._


	2. A Pair of Dancers

_*Sigh*, I thought I had done so well with no typos and such until I posted my last chapter and saw it... bioshock. Bioshock. BioSHOCK! This story does not, in fact, take place in Rapture, nor will any Big Daddies be making an appearance. How embarrassing. My apologies, all characters and settings belong to BioWARE. _

A Pair of Dancers

Cullen stretched his feet towards the fire, then rested his heels on the edge of the small table before him. He sank into the cushy chair and leaned his head against the soft chairback, letting out a deep sigh. The templar turned his attention to the large leather-bound book he held on his lap and began flipping carefully through the aged pages. The book was old, ancient he might even guess, the spine and corners were worn and the pages a dull yellow with tears and dog ears. The splashes of purple-red showed that a previous reader had carelessly spilled wine on it. These were Cullen's favorite types of books, ones that had been poured over endlessly, with crinkles and character. This volume was a tome of magical creatures; high dragons, merpeople, centaurs, and all kinds of fantastically dangerous beasts. They didn't exist anymore, of course, but Cullen used to imagine the great battles he would have against these monsters.

The library was where Cullen spent much of his time when he wasn't training or on guard. It was peaceful here, surrounded by the work of long dead scholars, something different and exciting to be found in each book. It was his favorite room in the Tower and he was actually able to enjoy the warmth of the fire without all his heavy plate on. His sword, however, leaned against the side of his chair. A templar was never truly off duty.

Another reason that Cullen loved the library was because of a certain young mage who also seemed to share his affection for it. He had seen her here on multiple occasions, sometimes she saw him and they exchanged a friendly greeting, but most times he would spy her from afar and simply drink in her presence. Once he had found her fast asleep, resting her head on her crossed arms over a pile of books. Cullen had moved the stub of a candle away from her elbow, it had created a smear of ash on the glossy fabric, and lightly smoothed her silky hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear. A small smile spread over Ellaria's lips and she mumbled something incoherent.

He hoped he would see her tonight. After their usual morning exchange he had seen her in the gardens with Jowan again, he was beginning to dislike this other mage. Except for Jowan and a few select others, Ellaria kept to herself, although many tried to get closer to her, especially the male mages. Whenever he saw some brash mage go up to her, he would feel a stab of jealousy, but each time he was relieved to see them slink away with their pride shattered. Cullen chuckled to himself as he stared down at him book.

"I never thought humongous spiders were quite so amusing." Cullen jerked his head up and twisted around to see Ellaria leaning against the back of his chair. His palms began to sweat as he slapped the book closed.

Cullen reached desperately for a witty retort, but found none. "You shouldn't sneak up on people, I could have hurt you!"

Ellaria chortled and made her way to the overstuffed couch kitty corner to his chair, "And how would a gentle girl like myself ever defend herself?"

Cullen blushed and turned to stare at the leaping flames in the fireplace. They were enchanting, something about them was very intriguing, the flame seemed almost alive. The way they flickered and twisted was mesmerizing. Cullen's eyes widened in shock as the ribbons of fire twisted into a pair of miniature people, one bowed to the other and they began to dance.

The templar turned to see Ellaria grinning, her slim fingers waving softly in the air, conducting the tiny dancers. "Look closer," she whispered. Cullen looked back at the fire and squinted at the figures, when he saw that it was the two of them he could not help but laugh aloud.

"Well, you look lovely in embers, my lady." Cullen bantered as he bowed his head to her.

She answered with a giggle, "And you are rather dashing in sparks if I do say so myself." With that, she dropped her hand and the flames returned to normal.

Cullen laid his elbow on his armrest and gazed at the beautiful woman. "So what brings you to the library at this hour anyway?" He had lost track of time thinking of her, something that seemed to be happening more and more often, but glancing out the window he could see it was already hours passed midnight.

"I could ask you the same," she raised an eyebrow with a half smile, but she sighed and picked at a loose thread on the worn couch. "I couldn't sleep. No matter what I did I just kept tossing and turning. I was hoping to find someone here as well, it just so happened he was."

The young man blinked, she couldn't possibly mean him. "Was Jowan here?" he stuttered.

Ellaria cocked her head to one side. "Jowan? I'm sure he's sleeping soundly, I meant you, silly."

"Why would you want to see me?" Cullen was glad for the dim lighting, a furious blush covered his cheeks.

"And here I thought we were friends! I must have been mistaken," she teased. Then she grinned and the fire sparkled in her eyes. "I was thinking about the first time we met, do you remember?"

"I believe you threatened to turn me into a toad." Her laugh was as infectious as her smile.

"I was quite a troublemaker, wasn't I?" Ellaria said as she rested her chin in her hand.

"That was putting it lightly! Do you remember how many times I was sent to chase after you? I must have rescued you a thousand times by now!"

"A thousand?! Let's not get ahead of ourselves! ...Maybe only a few hundred. I really didn't mean to animate those statues like that, do you still have the scar?"

Cullen remembered it like it was yesterday, about three years ago the fool of a girl had decided she wanted a pair of stone knights to dance. All they had wanted to do was battle. Cullen had the task of cutting them down, apparently none of the high enchanters could be bothered enough to put a stop to it. She had looked so frightened, standing in the corner yelling, _It wasn't my fault! _In the end he had somehow gotten them to smash together into pieces, but not before they left their mark. He rolled up his sleeve to reveal the jagged scar on his forearm from one of the stone swords. Ellaria leaned closer as she reached out and gently traced it with cool fingertips.

"I'm sorry," she nearly whispered, "did it hurt?" she looked up at him with wide eyes. He could not remember ever seeing a pair of eyes more stunning than hers, but behind the beauty was a haunted sense of knowing and a tiny hint of sadness. In a moment of bravery, he slid back his arm and laced his fingers with hers. The girl's slim smooth hand felt good against his own large calloused one.

Cullen's breath caught in his throat, he wanted nothing more than to tear off her robes and explore every inch of her smooth bronze skin, to feel her on top of him and to hold her close, drinking in her scent as she whispered his name huskily in his ear.

Instead, he pulled his hand away.

"I'm sorry," he muttered and folded his arms over his chest, staring at his lap.

Ellaria sighed as she stood. "Don't be. But 'tis very late, will you walk me to my chambers?"

Cullen nodded and followed her out of the library. They made the descent to the apprentice chambers in silence, there was a heaviness in the air, a sense of anticipation. When they reached the thick oaken door to her chambers, she turned to him.

Wordlessly, Ellaria stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. As she began to pull away, Cullen wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. He pushed her against the stone wall and one hand weaved into her satiny hair as she lifted one leg and wrapped it around him. With his other hand he reached down to feel the silken skin of her thigh. She arched her back to press even closer to him, he was so glad for the thin cloth of his tunic and leggings, to feel her body against his. His hand slid down to her chest, wishing there was less fabric, and he buried his face in her neck.

She gasped and whispered, "Cullen."

All too quickly he remembered that he was a templar, and she was a mage.

He broke free from her and backed away panting, "I-I'm sorry! Th-this won't happen again!"

Ellaria straightened her robes and raked her fingers through her hair. "Right, never again." She quickly turned and grabbed the door handle. Just before she opened it, she touched her lips and glanced back at him shyly. "Good night, Cullen."

Cullen mumbled a response, then fled down the hall.

_Getting steamy! I may just have to change the rating on this one.. Let me know what you thought! :)_


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